Spaceflight Drives Bacteria-Phage Evolution, Boosting Attack on Drug-Resistant Infections

ISS experiments with Escherichia coli and T7 phage (plus Earth controls) over ~25 days show spaceflight–driven mutations in bacterial stress responses and surface proteins, prompting phage adaptations that continue to kill bacteria. Some space-specific phage mutations were especially effective against antibiotic‑resistant, UTI-causing strains, offering insights to engineer potent phages on Earth; findings published in PLOS Biology.